


Second Chance

by Velace



Series: Tumblr Stories [5]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, I'm still hilarious, Sickening Amounts of Fluff, Tumblr Fic, and SMUT, eventually, probably
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2020-01-14 17:39:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18481108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Velace/pseuds/Velace
Summary: When Emma and Henry return from New York to help with this new curse, Regina discovers she’s not quite as forgettable as she seems to think. With a little help from magic, a sister she never knew she had, and a Saviour too stubborn to not go after exactly what she wants, she might just get that Happy Ending she’s constantly harping on about.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Surprise to those whole two of you who weren't expecting me to start another one before finishing the other 4328987109.

A cup shatters.

Emma looks up when it happens. She starts to smile but instead of returning it, Regina panics. She turns to flee the diner, to run far away from the son she thought she’d never see again, away from his _real_ mother. She takes three whole steps before she’s cut off and Emma is there, catching and embracing her so fiercely she fears she might pass out from the lack of oxygen.

Her heart beats rapidly against her chest. “Miss… Emma?”

“I missed you,” is what she thinks she hears mumbled into her neck.

She scoffs. “You had no idea I even existed.” Emma squeezes her tighter; a feat she thought impossible. She feels like she’s being hugged by the Hulk. “Are you trying to kill me? If not, I suggest you release me before I faint.”

The arms around her loosen but Emma doesn’t let go. She raises her head, cheeks flush and wet. Regina stares, her stomach doing a little flip. Had Emma remembered her after all? Is that why she’d been crying, or was it something else? Perhaps she was just overwhelmed, or possibly upset now that she knows the life she’d thought she led had been nothing more than a well-intentioned lie up until a year ago.

“I did,” she says, moving a hand from her hip to her shoulder, and squeezing. “I remembered you. So did he.” She lowers her voice and admits, “It’s why we’re here- why we came back. Please don’t send us away again.”

Regina stares, speechless. It wasn’t like she _wanted_ to send them away. She did it to protect her, to protect their son, to ensure he wouldn’t be trapped out there in the world all by himself while the rest of them frolicked around the Enchanted Forest. And what does she mean _they remembered_? They weren’t supposed to remember.

_That defeats the entire purpose of giving them new memories!_

“How?”

Emma moves the hand again, this time to her cheek, and smiles. “A feeling,” she replies, sucking in a breath when Regina unconsciously leans into her touch. She breathes out after a moment and smiles even wider. “We thought about you. _A lot_. We talked about you all the time. I- I told him as much as I could. The truth, as far as I- as far as the memories told me was truth. He, uh, might have some ideas about us that… aren’t.”

Biting the inside of her cheek, Regina looks over her shoulder just then. Henry is watching them and as soon as he meets her stare, he grins. He mumbles around the food in his mouth, “Hi Mom.”

The sob comes out of nowhere. She wasn’t sad. Surprised, confused and a little annoyed he isn’t the one wrapped around her rather than his annoying idiot of a mother, yes, but not sad. It catches her off guard and instead of shoving Emma away when she feels those arms capture her once more, she sinks into the embrace, returning it with every ounce of her strength.

“He wouldn’t shut up about you last night,” Emma mutters into her hair. She holds her tight and rubs her back while she rambles on. “I made the mistake of telling him you were here and he refused to go to sleep until I promised we’d come see you as soon as possible. I know you hate surprises, but I figured you’d forgive us for this one.”

Regina jerks her head up, glaring. “You were here last night?”

“I’m sorry.” Bringing a hand to her cheek, Emma wipes away the tears with a thumb as she explains, “We’d had a long drive and… and I was being selfish by trying to deal with the shock of seeing my mother. I just- I don’t want to keep him from you. Ever. I’m really, truly sorry.”

The sincerity in her voice and in her expression is enough to leech what little anger Regina feels from her. She breathes out slowly, almost sighing, and rests their heads together. “It’s okay.”

Emma nods. After a few minutes of silence, she says, “I want you to take him… spend time with him, as much as you want.” She leans back, smiling. “I’ll come by later and we can talk or- whatever you want.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I know if he had his memories, he’d want to be with you.” She grins a lopsided grin. “I have a feeling that even without them, he’ll want to stay with you.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

“Yes. Honestly, I kind of want to stay with you too,” Emma chuckles. “I might have to get over that, but he doesn’t.”

Regina frowns, her confusion growing. “What do you m-”

“Later,” Emma interrupts with a grimace. “I’ll tell you everything, but after. I still have some things to sort out before we tackle this new curse together.” She glances over her shoulder. “Kid, you done?”

Henry bobs his head. “Yeah.”

“Good. I need to deal with the one-handed wonder and your grandparents, you good to hang out with your mom for a bit?”

“Yup.”

“Great.” Emma turns back, still grinning. She kisses Regina’s cheek before stepping back. “I’ll see you both soon.”

As she turns to leave, Regina calls to her. “Emma.”

She spins around. “Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

She smiles softly. “You too, Regina.”

 

...

 

By the time Emma arrives at the house, Regina is a wreck. Henry had spent all day telling her about their lives in New York. Their happy ending had included her in so many ways. Henry remembers her from his childhood, and it’s only this last year that she’s been physically absent from their lives. According to him, she had needed time to _find herself_ ; that was how the spell she cast on their memories chose to explain her absence. Apparently, she’d raised him these last thirteen years alongside Emma who had somehow become her partner in more ways than one.

They weren’t married, though according to him that was only because Emma has commitment issues that aren’t really commitment issues considering she’d supposedly committed to living together and raising a son together for thirteen years. The way Henry tells it, their lives sounded a lot more complicated than either she or Emma would have time for, but she’d let him ramble for a really long time until some guy named Walsh entered the conversation.

As soon as Henry, proudly, told her about how Emma had turned Walsh down when he asked her out, and then punched him in the face for insinuating Regina wasn’t coming back, she’d lost it. Anything else Henry had to say had been drowned out and the next thing she knows, Emma is there, once again wrapping around her like they’ve done this a million times before.

She catches herself wishing that everything Henry has told her was true. From his point of view, the kind of relationship her and Emma had shared sounded like everything she had ever wanted of a partner. They supported everything the other did, defended one another, _loved_ each other so impossibly well that it just _had_ to be too good to be true.

The fact that absolutely none of it was real, that everything Henry believed was a result of a spell _she_ cast sobers her quicker than anything else might have. She tries to push Emma away from her, to struggle from the embrace, but Emma only holds her tighter, murmuring a _stop_ against her shoulder that she, for some godforsaken reason, actually _listens_ to.

After awhile, when tears merely stain her cheeks rather than fall down them and Emma’s chin on her shoulder feels more like a comfort instead of an invasion of space, Emma begins to talk. “I know it’s not real,” she says and though the words are warm, and soft, there is a depth to Emma’s voice that Regina has never heard before that makes her _want_ to listen despite her other want to summon a roll of duct tape and never let Emma speak again. “I know that I am the… second to last person you would ever imagine having that kind of life with- I mean, I’m assuming my mother rates below me even if you did become BFFs in the Enchanted Forest.”

When Regina doesn’t so much as scoff in a poor attempt to hide her amusement, Emma sighs and continues, “I also know that the memories came from you, and that life was the best damn thing that ever happened to me, so if you happen to need comfort, I’m going to damn well give it to you whether you want it or not.”

Regina does snort then. “I’m not going to pretend to be surprised you’d do the one thing you think I don’t want,” she mumbles into the crook of her arm. She turns her head, ignoring the fact her nose brushes Emma’s cheek when she says, “We both know you’re the bane of my existence and that you’ll do anything to annoy me.”

“I can’t help it,” Emma drawls, mouth quirking. “That vein you get in your forehead when you’re pissed is just too sexy.”

Scoffing, Regina elbows her in the ribs. “Get off of me before I fireball you.”

Heaving a sigh, Emma replies, “Fine.” She unfurls from around her, straightening as she adds, “I didn’t want to hold you anyway.”

Regina laughs out loud when the words are preceded by a pout.

 

...

 

Emma does her best to fill in the parts Henry had left out for one reason or another. Regina spends half the time laughing, the other half in tears. Emma holds her through a lot of it before Regina finally tires and brings out the alcohol. At any other time, she would have kicked Emma out so she could process everything, but the more time she spends with her, the more she wants her to stay.

Keeping her distance while getting Emma drunk, or at least too tipsy to drive, seemed like the perfect solution, right up until Emma pauses, half way through telling her how they’d met in the memories, to squint suspiciously at her. “I know what you’re doing.”

Regina freezes for all of a moment as she refills their glasses, then shrugs. “And?”

Emma gives her a look as she states all too seriously, “Alcohol is not the solution to your problems, Regina.”

Humming, she inclines her head and returns to her seat across from the blonde. It’s true, although it was a fairly good one for this particular problem. “Next time, I’ll ask,” she assures her, already well aware there will be a next time. Listening to Emma tell her about their fake life together was- well, it wasn’t exactly the best use of their time, but it was intriguing and, to a certain degree, rather eye opening. “Finish your story.”

Emma shrugs. “There honestly wasn’t a lot after that. I told you I regretted my decision to give him up, thanked you for letting me see him, and then you just… suggested I not leave- as much as you were able to suggest something without it sounding like a demand, anyway.”

Regina tampers down a laugh to stare at her in surprise. “That was it? You show up claiming to be the mother of my son, and I just invite you into our home-”

“No no.” Emma laughs, head shaking. “God no. You suggested a hotel closeby. When I told you I couldn’t afford more than a couple of nights, you offered to pay for it. I ended up staying for three months before you asked me to move in… well, so the memories go. You were so nervous. I thought it was cute.”

“Cute?” Emma bites her lower lip and nods. Regina huffs. “I am not cute.”

“Yeah, you kind of are.” Emma grins at her glare. “You can pretend all you want,” she adds, “and you are a lot of things I’m sure you’d appreciate far more than cute, but when you’re nervous? You’re cute, there’s no way around it. Sorry.”

Regina scowls. She doesn’t sound sorry at all, and the grin still on her stupid face certainly isn’t convincing anyone. “I loathe you.”

Emma snorts. “Nope.”

“Nope?”

“Nope,” she repeats. “After showing me what it was like to raise Henry? I will never believe that.” She leans forward, her grin growing as she drawls, “Ever.”

Huffing, Regina goes back to her wine. It’s on the tip of her tongue; a lie to knock Emma down a peg or two. She could claim the memories were for Henry, but they’d both know it was a lie. There was no reason for Emma to have them if they were meant for Henry. Some of them, perhaps, but the fake time they’d spent together without him? No. The only reason to lie would be to hurt Emma, and she doesn’t want to do that. The truth is, she has never loathed or even hated Emma. She has, on occasion, disliked her, but that’s always been the extent of her feelings regarding the mother of her son.

If she were being honest, she likes Emma most of the time. She likes the way they challenge each other constantly. She likes that Emma rarely, if ever, backs down from a fight she thinks worthwhile. She likes that regardless of what anyone else thought, Emma is always, unequivocally herself.

There had been that one time, for a few weeks, where Emma had decided to try and be more like her mother, but it hadn’t lasted, much to Regina’s immense relief; one Snow White wandering around her town was more than enough.

Emma says something, drawing her from her thoughts. “Pardon?”

“I _said_ I should probably go to bed before I end up finishing off the bottle,” Emma repeats as she stands.

“Ah.” Rising, Regina sweeps a hand through the air, sending their glasses and the remainder of the wine to the kitchen. “The guest room is all made up.” Emma raises a brow. “What?”

“Nothing.” She smirks. “I just wasn’t aware you’d planned all this.”

Flushing, Regina tries to protest, “I didn’t-”

“Thank you.”

Her jaw snaps shut, blinking rapidly as Emma comes around the table. A hand touches her cheek and Emma smiles at her warmly as she leans in. Her breath hitches, and then there are lips on her other cheek, not quite kissing but close.

“I’m sorry,” Emma murmurs, her hand falling away as she steps back. “If this ends up, or already is, weird for you. I’m going to need some time to adjust.”

Swallowing thickly, Regina slowly releases a breath. “It’s fine,” she lies, voice rough. It’s not fine. It’s not fine at all. It’s giving her ideas and making her feel things she shouldn’t be feeling, especially not _now_ when they have more important things to be doing; like figuring out who the hell cursed them.

“Goodnight, Regina.”

Dismissing her thoughts, she offers a tight smile. “Sweet dreams, Emma.”

“You’re always in them,” Emma grins, winking as she turns on her heel and saunters away. Just before she disappears around the corner into the foyer, she throws over a shoulder, “And sweet isn’t the word I’d use.”

Regina groans but when she hears Emma’s laughter, she can’t help but smile.


	2. Chapter 2

The last thing Regina expects when she comes downstairs the next morning is the incessant knocking at her front door. It immediately sours what could have been a good mood, if only she’d made it to the kitchen before whoever is on the other side decided to ruin it.

Expecting either Snow or Charming, or both, she considers suddenly throwing open the door and scaring them. The thought of accidentally inducing Snow’s labour, however, has her grimacing and she manages to restrain herself. “To what- the hell do you want?”

Neither Snow nor Charming, but Hook. He grins. “Your Majesty, I was wondering if Emma is here.”

“No,” she lies because while she may not know what’s going on between them, she’ll be damned if she lets him saunter in and try to take over Emma’s life again.

“Then why is her car parked in your driveway?” She glares at him and he sighs. “I know she’s here, Regina.”

“Maybe she is,” she concedes, snapping, “but I fail to see what business it is of yours.”

“I only wish to speak with her,” he explains, wisely taking a step back. “We haven’t had a chance to talk since I gave her the potion to restore her memories.”

She snarls. Emma had told her that he’d been the one to bring them back. It might have endeared him to her slightly, had Henry not also told her all about how he’d stalked them all over New York until Emma reported him to the cops and had him thrown in jail. “It is seven in the morning,” she growls. “I am not about to wake her simply for her to have to put up with you.”

He raises hand and hook, and smiles what might have been a charming smile were she not well aware of the treacherous snake that lay beneath it. “I can wait.”

“Fine.”

He appears to relax and smiles even wider. “May I wait h-”

“Absolutely not.”.

“Oh come on,” he groans.

Anger rising, she slowly breathes in and silently counts to ten, then breathes out. “Hook,” she says from between clenched teeth. “I don’t know what it is about the last year that has made you believe I won’t gladly strangle you for vexing me, but whatever it is, I suggest you get over it and get off of my property before I lose my temper.”

Slamming the door in his face, uninterested in whatever words were about to succeed his constipated expression, she turns around, and immediately freezes. Emma grins as she descends the rest of the stairs. “It’s amazing the difference a tone can have on someone based purely on their gender.”

Shoulders slumping, Regina sighs. “What are you babbling about?”

“You being all grr argh; he looked like he was about to wet himself while I have to force myself not to pounce on you.” Emma flutters her lashes while flashing what  _ is _ actually a charming smile. “Interesting, no?”

_ Yes. _ “No. Why are you awake?”

She pouts as she answers. “Those memories of yours managed to instill some form of routine.” She wrinkles her nose. “It’s disgusting, I know.”

She turns on her heel and begins making her way toward the kitchen. Regina follows, questioning, “Did those memories also turn you into a shameless lech?”

Emma laughs. “Unfortunately, for you, no; I’ve always been this way.”

Regina frowns, stilling at the counter as Emma rounds it and begins setting up the coffeemaker. “Why for me?”

Emma shrugs. “I like making you blush, but I don’t imagine you’re all too fond of the experience.”

Fond? No- actually, maybe. She’s more curious about the comment about Emma wanting to pounce on her, though. “So now that you have your memories along with these new ones, this is what I have to look forward to for the rest of my life?”

“Nah,” Emma replies, done with the coffeemaker as she turns around. She smirks and says, “Eventually I’ll remind myself you’re too good for me and find someone else to flirt with, but until then, yeah.”

Staring blankly back at her, Regina shakes her head once she realizes Emma is serious. “Too good for you,” she repeats. “On what planet, exactly, is it that we live on?” Emma opens her mouth but a raised hand keeps her silent as Regina warns, “Don’t let those memories fool you, Miss Swan. I am the Evil Queen; if anyone is too good, then it is you.”

“Okay first off, no.” Emma glares at her. “The Evil Queen is a fairy tale. You were a Queen who did bad things for, some would argue, perfectly valid reasons, and the occasional terrible reason. Second, I’m not referring to our morality, or our pasts and whatever shit we did. It’s the past for a reason.”

Tempted as she is to argue, Regina gestures for her to continue. “Do enlighten me, then,” she drawls. “If not our pasts, what could you possibly have meant?”

Emma blinks. “Uh, everything else? You’re smart, lethally sarcastic and drop dead gorgeous.” She begins ticking things off on her fingers. “Actually lethal, talented at pretty much everything, a great mother-”

Eyes rolling, Regina interrupts, “Now you’re just messing with me.”

Emma sputters. “I am not!” 

The beep telling her the coffeemaker is done has her jerking into action with a huff. She retrieves two mugs from the cupboard, filling both before she turns around and Regina sees the soft smile taking over her face. “What?”

Passing her a mug across the counter, Emma chuckles. “It just occurred to me where it is you actually stopped me from praising you,” she teases. “Everything before was perfectly fine, but telling you you’re a great mother is where you decide to draw the line?”

Raising a shoulder, Regina takes her first sip of coffee for the morning and hums, content for the moment. “Some things are more believable than others,” she replies, lowering the mug. “Besides, many of those things are down to personal perception. My parenting methods are not. I made him think he was crazy- I almost killed him, Emma.”

Unlike her, Emma  _ does _ argue. “It was an accident,” she says. “You had no way of knowing he’d take it from me and eat it to prove a point. I’m not…” She trails off and looks away, but it isn’t long before she concedes, “It was a shitty thing to do, but none of us are blameless here, Regina. We’ve all done shitty things that we’re sorry for, and that’s what counts as far as I’m concerned; no one blamed or hated you more for what happened than  _ you _ .”

Keeping silent, Regina gazes down at the counter, remembering. It had been the one and only time she’d felt true remorse. She’d have given anything to go back in time and prevent it from ever happening; no turnover, no pushing Emma away, no more giving Henry reason to hate her. If she’d had the chance to do it over, she’d have kept Emma at the house that day. They would have waited for Henry to get home, and she’d have told them everything.

She’d had nightmares for months- still has them from time to time.

Emma sighs and Regina looks up, feeling a pang in her chest when their eyes meet. Emma tries to smile but it’s faint. Dull. “The point,” she says, “is that we’ve all made mistakes and, barring your whole  _ two _ , I couldn’t have asked for a better mother for our son. Take it as you will, but I’m done talking about the past; it’s too early and it’s too fucking depressing.”

Resisting a smile of her own at hearing the swear, Regina drawls, “At last, something we both agree on.”

Emma snorts a laugh. “Maybe next time you wanna be all melodramatic, you’ll remember this moment and do us both a favour by  _ not _ .”

Hiding a smirk behind her mug, Regina counters, “I wouldn’t get your hopes up.”

 

...

 

On an intellectual level, Regina had known that sending Henry off with Emma had been the right thing to do. Logic, common sense, rational thought; however one wanted to look at it, there had been only one thing wrong with it, and that was that she shouldn’t have had to do it in the first place. Emotionally, that one, simple fact was all that mattered to her. She could reason through what she did fairly easily, but feeling her way through it had been beyond her.

Watching them, seeing them interact with one another now in a way that had been missing before, her heart finally, finally gets it. It hadn’t been the best for her, but for their son- for Emma, and for their relationship, there was no other choice; not then, not now, not ever. Their memories, these- these fantasies of Emma’s notwithstanding, she would do it again. She hoped she would never have to, but she knew in her heart that she would without hesitation.

Emma might have given him up, but she deserved this, and so did he.

“Hey.” Lost in her thoughts, Regina startles at the voice. She looks around, noting their son now missing from the den, television blank, before she turns her attention to Emma, who smiles apologetically. “Sorry, didn’t think I was sneaking up on you,” she teases. “I thought maybe we should get started on figuring out this curse?”

“Oh.”

Emma squints at the lackluster response. “You... don’t want to?”

“It’s not that, it’s just-” That. It is that, exactly. She doesn’t want to, which is strange in and of itself. There’s no desire there- no urge to investigate the cause. It doesn’t feel important enough to warrant her time, which means it is important. Trying to articulate all of this, however, seems pointless. She sighs, finishing lamely. “It feels different.”

“Uh, shouldn’t it?” Emma frowns. “I mean, you didn’t cast it.”

Regina chuckles humourlessly. It’s not what she meant, but the confident way Emma said it is certainly curious, and slightly annoying. She has zero reason to believe Regina  _ didn’t _ cast it. “How do you know?”

Emma looks confused for a moment, like maybe it should be obvious. When Regina simply continues to stare at her, waiting, she replies, “You said you didn’t?”

Regina deflates as whatever fight she’d been intending to start immediately loses steam. “And that’s enough for you? I don’t remember the last year, Emma. Maybe I did cast it and I just don’t know.” Emma shrugs, raising her ire once more; in record time at that. Regina growls, “That’s it? A shrug?”

“Yeah.” Another shrug. “If you did, then I guess you had your reasons.”

“Emma-” Exasperation, anger; Emma cuts her off before she can vocalize either.

“I’m serious, Regina. I’m done blaming you for every damn thing that goes wrong in this town,” she snaps. “Let’s just figure it out, and if it turns out it was you, then you can explain why and we can all pretend we could actually do something about it if you did.” 

Eyes widening with every word, Regina remains silent and watches the sheepish expression slowly overcome the irritation clearly painted across Emma’s face. “Sorry,” she says. “I ran into the dwarves at the diner... I almost strangled Happy.”

Regina bites the corner of her mouth, considering. She could easily diffuse the situation by changing the subject, and yet; part of her is still curious. Emma has always been protective of her, but this is the first she’s really seen it up close. Curiosity winning out, she offers, “You can hardly blame them.”

Eyes narrowing, Emma argues, “Sure, I can. You gave up the one you love most to protect those douche holes; the least they can do is try and believe something isn’t your fault for once.”

At that, Regina has to smile. “Tell me how you really feel,” she teases.

“With my hands,” Emma deadpans, cracking a grin when Regina laughs. Sighing, but smiling, Emma returns to their previous topic. “So… any idea if we can reverse the amnesia without breaking the curse, or do we just jump straight to the nuclear option?”

“I think breaking the curse might take slightly more effort,” Regina drawls.

“How’s that?”

“If we don’t know who cast it,” she explains, “we don’t know whose kiss we need.”

Emma sighs. “That matters?”

Regina inclines her head, smiling softly. “To a degree.”

“Explain?”

She does, unable to resist the adorable, confused puppy expression Emma assaults her with. “Well, my curse- because it was created by Rumple- didn’t rely on me, but on you; his Savior. He relied on your True Love rather than mine or his own- I assume because he thought his was dead.”

Emma tilts her head. “Why’d he think that?”

Regina groans inwardly, shoulders slumping. She should have known Emma would ask. Despite not wanting to talk about her past, it sure does come up a lot between them. “I abducted her and told him she was when he came looking.”

“Oh. Okay.” Nodding, Emma dismisses the subject, continuing,  “You think you could recreate the potion I used?”

And okay, no. Regina has her limits. You don’t just brush off abduction and fake murders. She repeats, voice a tad too high in disbelief, “Okay?”

Emma gazes blankly at her. She says nothing, the silence stretching between them for a solid minute, at least, before Regina realizes she won’t be saying anything. It would appear Emma was serious about rehashing the past after all. Regina swallows and answers her question hesitantly, “I… might be able to recreate it.”

“Cool.” Face suddenly bright with a smile, Emma bounces to her feet. “Let’s go, then.”

“Go?”

She grins. “I assume we need to visit your evil lair.”

Without thinking, Regina corrects, “Vault.”

“So you say.”

Looking into her eyes to ensure this turnaround and bout of playfulness is real, and not just a cover to hide her disappointment or- whatever someone might feel when faced with her past, Regina shakes her head when all she sees is amusement staring back at her. She rises, sniffing. “You’re not funny.”

“Please.” Emma scoffs. “I’m hilarious.”


	3. Chapter 3

On their way to the vault, Emma receives a text. Hearing her sigh, Regina briefly takes her eyes from the road to look over at her. “What?”

Emma shows her the message. It’s from her mother. All it says is;  _ Meeting at Town Hall. Now. _ “Do we bother?”

Regina considers it for a minute. It could be something important, though the chances are slim. Rarely does the town band together to do anything even remotely helpful. They’re probably gathering to talk about the curse or, rather, to talk about teaming up against their most likely suspect; her. “There’s no telling what asinine thing they might plan to do if we don’t.”

“It’s just going to be a bunch of people blaming you,” Emma says, blunt and to the point.

“Yes.”

She sighs. “Well, you’re driving, so it’s up to you.”

Regina smirks at the petulant tone. “I like this side of you.”

“Whipped?” Emma guesses.

Snorting, she shakes her head. That isn’t quite what she had in mind. “I was going to say easily swayed, but if that’s the term you prefer.”

“It doesn’t even really apply, but it’s basically how I feel, so yeah.”

Slowing down, Regina turns to her with a raised brow. “You mean the fact we’re not having sex, so I have nothing to withhold?”

“Can you not use that word? Ever again?” Cheeks red, Emma looks away to stare out of the window instead. She mumbles, “In fact, don’t use that word or any words associated with that word.”

Unable to help herself, Regina grins and teases, “You mean like fuck?”

“Regina!” Emma gasps, head whipping around. Her face is even more red, but there’s a light in her eyes that Regina thinks might be delight. The thought is confirmed when Emma returns her grin. “My poor, delicate ears,” she drawls. “Also, yes;  _ like fuck _ .”

Stomach twisting in a not too unpleasant way, Regina barely stifles the groan wanting to escape her chest. Emma swearing is nothing new. She does it all the time, like when she’s in a bad mood or when she spills her food all over herself. Hell, she often trips over air because her attention is drawn elsewhere, which is already a bad thing but it’s made worse when the owner of said attention is a clumsy oaf.

Context, though. Context, apparently, matters.

Quickly guiding the car to the curb outside Town Hall, Regina slams on the brakes. “We’re here.”

“Oh, thank god.”

Flinging open the door without another word, Emma closes it surprisingly softly before she practically sprints up the stairs and into the building. Regina gazes after her, mouth already curling with a smile. She’d known she affected Emma in a way that was new to them both, but that’d been a little much. It wasn’t as though they’d been on the verge of  _ having _ sex.

Sighing, she shakes her head and exits the car. She strolls into Town Hall, the click of her heels becoming more and more faint beneath the noise of voices as she inches closer to the meeting room. 

Letting herself into the room quietly, she immediately spots Emma and sidles up beside her.

“I called this shit.”

Tuning into the discussion going on around them, Regina tilts her head, unsurprised to hear her name among the voices. She tunes them back out, neither interested nor in the mood to listen to the people laying fault at her feet once more, and drawls, “Yes dear.”

With an ever increasing frown, Emma turns to her. “You going to say anything?”

Regina meets her gaze, expression as blank as her tone. “No.”

Emma holds her stare for a few seconds, then nods. “Alright.”

She moves, far quicker than Regina would think her capable. Eyes widening, she tries to stop her. “Wait.” She takes a swipe at her, hoping to catch her shoulder or some part of her arm to yank her back but Emma is already too far and her hand simply falls through air.  

A blink, maybe two, and Emma is up on stage at the front of the room. The voices fall silent almost instantly, the people no doubt waiting with baited breath to hear what their Saviour has to say. Lids fluttering shut, exasperation and annoyance vying for dominance, Regina takes a breath and opens her eyes, shoving down both as Emma’s voice fills the air.

“Listen up, because I’m only going to say this once, and I guarantee none of you are going to enjoy it if I have to say it again.”

Because  _ that _ is going to go over well. Regina groans.

“I know you all love to blame Regina for everything that goes wrong in your lives, but how ‘bout for once we try to not do that and actually try to work together, huh?”

Regina snorts. If they were actually capable of such a thing, it might be nice, but she’s definitely not about to get her hopes up.

“How many times do you have to be proven wrong before you stop beating the same dead horse,” Emma continues. “Regina has proven herself to all of us more than any one of you. In fact, she has proven herself more than the lot of you combined and honestly, I’m tired of you all ignoring that fact, so knock it the fuck off.”

Just barely keeping her jaw from hitting floor, Regina glances around to see if anyone else shares in her surprise. They do, rather comically, wide-eyed and wide-mouthed as Emma steps down from the stage and makes her way back to her.

“Off we go.”

Emma walks right passed her, throwing open the doors in a fashion reminiscent of a once not-so-nice Queen. Regina spins around and hurries after her. “Emma, stop.”

She does, turning with a wince. “I’m sorry.”

Regina blinks, mind swiftly scrolling through all the reasons Emma  _ might _ be sorry. It doesn’t take long, as there’s only one she can think of. Why Emma would assume she’d be mad about someone  _ defending _ her escapes her, but it’s the most plausible reason, and therefore the one she responds. “Don’t be. I don’t know what I did to deserve it, but-”

“You know,” Emma interrupts, nostrils flaring. “We all know. You’ve done a lot, for all of us,” she adds with a growl. “It’s about time we stopped dwelling on the past and started to recognize how amazing you are when you’re not hurt and, rightly, angry at the world for treating you like shit.”

 

 

...

 

“Don’t touch anything.” She feels guilty the second the words are out of her mouth. The wounded expression Emma shoots her is pitiful, to say the least. “Don’t look at me like that. I know you. You’ll be tempted, something entirely avoidable will happen and we’ll have to go on some bothersome adventure to fix it. I’ve had enough adventure, Miss Swan.”

“That’s too bad,” Emma says, face suddenly lacking anything pity or guilt inducing. She has one of those small, crooked smiles. Impish, her drawl teasing, she adds, “I’ve been having a lot of adventurous thoughts lately.”

Feigning annoyance and rolling her eyes, Regina turns away, hiding a smile and the heat crawling its way up her neck. Hearing a thump and a soft ‘oof’, she immediately turns back, ready to chide the woman for already disobeying her. The words die on her lips, though, when she notices the book in one hand and the fact Emma is rubbing her backside with the other.

A cough draws her attention to a grin that tells her Emma is well aware of what had distracted her. Her cheeks warm and with a look that warns Emma not to say anything, Regina snatches the book from her. She frowns down at it, confident she’s never seen it before. It isn’t one of hers, and she’s fairly certain she’s been through her mother’s possessions enough times to know that it isn’t one of hers either.

Peering up at Emma, she admits, “I don’t know what this is.”

“You don’t recognize it?” She shakes her head. Emma frowns thoughtfully, suggesting after a moment, “Maybe you were working on something when the new curse hit.”

“Maybe.” Holding the book in the palm of one hand, Regina raises the other and releases a shot of magic into it. When nothing happens, she drops it to the floor and steps back before looking down to where it lay, it’s colourful pages staring back at her. “It’s a… story book?”

Emma hums, having stood up from the couch at some point as she moves to stand beside her for a better look. “Reminds me a little of Henry’s,” she says before crouching down and reaching out. Regina quickly pushes it away, kicking it across the room. “Hey!”

“It might be trapped,” she reasons. “Idiot.”

“I thought that was why you did the little magic thingy.”

“It was, but I might not  _ know _ the magic being used,” she explains with another eye roll. “Despite popular belief, I  _ don’t _ know everything.”

“Shocking,” Emma snarks, laughing suddenly as she dodges the swift kick aimed at her thigh, and falls on her ass. “Ow.”

“Serves you right.” Regina sniffs. 

Gesturing to the book, she gathers it with her magic and places it on the top most shelf of the bookcase closest to her, high out of reach. Emma smirks knowingly as she gets to her feet. “You realize that might be exactly what we’re looking for, right?”

Regina raises a brow. “You think we’re going to find the solution to this curse in a book of stories?”

Emma shrugs. “That’s where Henry found his,” she reminds her. “I’m not saying it’s going to give us step by step instructions on how to break it, but maybe there’s something in there that’ll at least give us a hint at what we’re up against.”

Sighing inwardly, Regina concedes, flicking her wrist and summoning the book back to her hand. As much as she might hate to admit it; Emma is right. In truth, this is exactly why she’d wanted Emma’s help to begin with. She overthinks things and has a tendency to give others more credit than is rightly deserved. Emma, on the other hand, thinks more simply, preferring to rule out the obvious instead of skipping straight passed it.

Granted, Emma’s preferences are purely selfish. The obvious requires less effort and Emma is, by her own words, lazy. She is, however, more often right than she is wrong. People  _ are _ stupid and Emma, thankfully, rarely forgets such a fact, unlike herself.

Holding the book out to her, Regina warns, “If you open this and it sucks you into it, I’m not going to come after you.”

Emma smirks. “Yeah, you will.” She takes the book and wanders back over to the couch, flipping it open without any sense of caution whatsoever. “Oh no. Help, it’s got me,” she drawls, grinning as she lifts her head, and barking out a laugh the second she catches sight of Regina’s raised middle finger.

 

...

 

“Uh, I think you were meant to read this.”

Regina looks up with a frown. It’s been almost an hour since she’d given Emma the book. They hadn’t spoken since and she’d grown used to the silence, interspersed with the occasional scratch of a turning page.

Setting her own book down, she rises slowly and makes her way over to the couch to sit beside Emma. Emma slides the book, closed, into her lap as soon as she does. She then places her hand over it, stopping Regina from opening it as she speaks, “Don’t skip.” Regina raises a brow at the command. “I’m serious, Regina. Don’t. I know you. Without the build up, you’ll get to the important part and immediately dismiss it. It’s… you’ll need to process it, which is why I’m going to give you some time alone, okay? Read all of it,” she continues, standing. “I’ll come back in a bit, or you can text me and tell me not to if you’d prefer to be alone.”

“What? You can’t-”  _ leave _ . Strangling the protest before it’s fully formed, Regina glares at her and growls, “You can’t just  _ say _ something like that, and then leave without explaining yourself, Emma Swan.”

Emma stares down at her, chewing the inside of her cheek, before she sighs and drops to a crouch. Regina frowns, and it only deepens when Emma grabs her hand, squeezing gently. “There is something in there that’s going to surprise you, and because I know you, I know you’re going to want to be alone when you discover it,” she explains, smiling softly. “I don’t want to leave, but there are still some things I need to take care of anyway, so this is a good chance for me to do them while you absorb what’s in there.”

Glancing between her and the book, Regina hesitates to ask the question on the tip of her tongue. She doesn’t like surprises, and if Emma is going to leave, then that’s an almost guarantee that it’s not going to be a good surprise. Still, she needs to know. “Is it… is it bad?”

“No.” Instant. Confident. Emma squeezes her hand again. “It’s not bad, I don’t think. It is a bit… unbelievable, I guess. I don’t know if the story before it will help, but I think it might, so you should definitely read it..”

Staring, seeing nothing but reassurance and sincerity in those eyes, Regina nods. “Okay.” Taking her hand back, she gestures dismissively. “Go, then,” she says, and as Emma stands, she adds, “You may wish to make the pirate one of those things you need to take care of, because the next time he shows up at my door, I won’t be as kind as I was this morning.”

Emma smirks down at her. “Sure, kind; that’s the word I would’ve used to describe this morning.” Regina narrows her eyes and Emma grins, hands raised. “You were totally kind- the sweetest.”

Stifling her own grin, Regina gestures again. “Go away, peasant.”

Emma chuckles, surprising her when she bows low. “As Her Majesty commands,” she teases, straightening. A mischievous twinkle in her eye, she turns. “See you later,  _ my _ royal Queenliness.”

Lips immediately parting to question the possessive, Emma disappears in a whirl of white smoke, robbing Regina of words. She didn’t know Emma could do that. They’d barely had time for one magic lesson before she’d had to send Emma over the town line with their son.

“Full of surprises, that one,” she murmurs, a small smile curling her lips.

After a moment of staring at the spot Emma had been in, her eyes fall to the book in her lap and she sighs. Flipping it open to the first page, she leans back against the couch and begins to read the story of how the Wicked Witch came to be.


	4. Chapter 4

A sister. She has a sister, and if the rendition of the woman on the page before her is in any way accurate, she can’t possibly doubt it. Ignoring the rather vivid green of her skin, this woman, Zelena, looks far too much like her mother to not be related somehow.

It’s an interesting tale. Predictable, but interesting. A tale of abandonment, abuse, vengeance; the perfect recipe for creating an emotionally unstable, basket case of a villain. The only thing shocking about it is the fact they’d apparently known each other when they were kids. Their mother, of course, had torn them apart in the end, but if what she’d just read were true, then she’d been happy once upon a time, before Daniel.

Sighing, looking up from the page for the first time in roughly twenty minutes, Regina rests her head back against the couch and closes her eyes. It’s obvious Zelena wants her to know about her. Why, she hasn’t quite found the answer to, though she’s only halfway through the book. She’d tried to read further on, curious where the tale might end, but she’d been drawn back to the page where the woman stood surrounded by her furry little minions.

Monkeys.

Flying monkeys.

Her eyes snap open. Emma had mentioned something about a flying monkey the night before- something to do with that man- the one whose name she’s apparently already forgotten.

Head jerking forward, she summons her phone to hand and dials from memory. Emma picks up on the second ring, about to answer in her usual, idiotic way, when Regina snaps, “Get back here this instant.”

She hangs up, a few more seconds than she’d like passing before the tell-tale smoke appears and Emma materializes in front of her. “You o-”

“We need to find her,” Regina interrupts.

Emma grins sheepishly. “Uh, funny story…”

“You’ve found her.”

“It wasn’t really all that difficult?” She shrugs and explains, “She wandered into the diner while I was delivering your message to Hook. I was talking to her when you called...”

Regina scowls. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Uh.” Squinting at her, Emma replies, “You hung up on me?”

“You realize she may be the one who cursed us, yes?”

She shakes her head. “She’s not. I mean, for the amnesia part, yeah, but apparently the curse was my parents.”

“What?”

There is no way Emma just said what Regina thinks she said. It’s not possible.

“Another funny story.”

No.

_ No way. _

“ _ Snow White _ and  _ Prince Charming _ cast a curse?”

“Maybe it’d be better if we just-” Emma gestures vaguely, but her meaning is clear..

“Yes,” Regina agrees, getting to her feet. “Let’s go.”

“Okay.” Emma turns to look at her when she simply stands at her side. “Are you waiting for something?”

“You to magic us there.”

“Are you crazy?” She protests. “I’ve only done it twice and no one was with me either time. Do you want to die?”

“Sometimes.” Regina sniffs, Emma’s glare boring into the side of her head as she feigns interest in her nails and adds, “When you speak, mostly.”

“Well that’s just rude,” Emma huffs, snatching her hand from the air. She laces their fingers together and with no more than a thought, they appear in the diner, perfectly whole.

Regina smirks as she gently frees her hand from Emma’s vice-like grip. “See what you can accomplish when you stop complaining and simply try?”

Returning the smirk, Emma folds her arms. “Considering I was trying to kill you,” she retorts, “I wouldn’t really call anything I just did an accomplishment.”

“In that case-” Regina drawls, the smirk widening, “-you remain a disappointment. Well done.”

Emma rolls her eyes. “Thanks, now sit down and shut your face.”

Chuckling, Regina slips into the booth across from Zelena, who finally speaks as she fixes Emma with a narrowed gaze. “What happened to warning me?”

“I got distracted. Sorry.” Shrugging, she waves between them. “Regina, Zelena. Zelena, Regina,” she introduces, then points a thumb over her shoulder. “I’ll just be over-”

Frowning, Regina interrupts, “Sit down, Emma.”

Blinking, Emma glances down at her, mirroring the frown. “I thought you’d want-”

“Sit,” Regina repeats. She knows  _ exactly _ what Emma had thought and while she appreciates the consideration, the last thing she wants is to be left alone with a complete stranger, sister or not. “Please.”

With a long suffering sigh, Emma slides in beside her. Regina pats her thigh beneath the table in mock sympathy, ignoring the way it jumps beneath her hand when she leaves it there, and turns her attention to Zelena. “Care to tell me what one of your little minions was doing in New York harassing the mother of my son?”

“We already-” Emma begins to interject, but a squeeze to her thigh quickly shuts her up.

Relatively speaking.

Regina peers at her to ensure she isn’t about to choke to death. The glare is somewhat reassuring, and she looks back to Zelena, brow raised. “Well?”

Seemingly amused by them, Zelena is grinning as she explains, “I sent him to retrieve her for our return to this land.” She tilts her head. “Unfortunately, I overestimated dear Walsh’s intelligence and he, in turn, underestimated your… claim over her.”

Regina’s eye twitches. Much as she’d like to deny having any sort of claim, the idea that she might is an appealing one. Not to mention the fact Emma doesn’t appear all that bothered by the thought, if her snort is any indication. They should probably talk about that at some point. “Why would you need Emma?”

“I thought you’d want to be reunited with your son,” Zelena reasons. She smirks. “Was I wrong to assume they’re a package deal?”

Ignoring the question, Regina continues. “And our memories?”

Lips pursed, the amusement finally fades from Zelena’s expression. “You didn’t believe me when I told you the first time.”

“Ah.”

Regina nods in understanding. If she were mourning the loss of her son, finding out she had a sister and trying to process it at the same time wouldn’t have been something she was capable of. Now that Henry is here, without his memories but safe, sound, and where she can keep an eye on him, she’s far more open to the idea.

It isn’t as if it’s the first thing her mother had kept from her.

“You were upset,” Zelena add, breaking the brief silence that settles over them. “Understandable given you were separated from your son and your…” She pauses, glancing between her and Emma. “I’m sorry, what are you two, exactly?”

“Undecided,” Regina replies, cutting Emma off as she attempts to answer. “Did you convince Snow and Charming to-”

“Oh no, that was entirely them,” Zelena interrupts, hands raised. Dropping them to the table and shaking her head, she explains, “They assumed you were angry with me because I’d threatened you. How that lead to them casting another curse, I don’t rightly know.”

Regina sighs. “They’re idiots, that’s how.”

“You know them better than I.”

“Unfortunately,” she agrees, turning to Emma as she jokes, “You need to lock them up for their own...” Trailing off at Emma’s wide stare, she frowns and asks, “What?”

“We’re undecided?”

The awe, the  _ hope _ in those two words alone has Regina biting her cheek to stifle her smile. What had possessed her to answer like that wasn’t entirely clear to her in the moment, but the way Emma is looking at her is too adorable for words, and too much for her to regret it now. “We’re well passed that, dear,” she drawls, “Do keep up.”

 

…

 

Emma is beaming as she saunters over to them, balancing a tray in each hand; one for their drinks, the other for their food. Why Red isn’t doing her job, Regina is curious, although she doesn’t ask. She’d seen the younger wolf peering over at them when they’d first entered, and she has her suspicions.

“Your… Emma is like a puppy.”

Regina chuckles. She really is. “Thank you, dear,” she says as Emma comes to stand before their booth and sets everything on the table. “What did your mother have to say?”

Emma grimaces, placing the trays aside before she falls back in beside her. “You want the long or short version?”

“What’s the difference?”

“One involves a lot of denial, apologies and tears,” she replies, plucking a fry from her plate and shoving it into her mouth. “The other doesn’t make me want to hang myself.”

Regina smirks. It’s good to know it isn’t just her Snow has that effect on. “Much as I enjoy the thought of Snow White blubbering, I’ll take the short.”

“Good choice.” Emma nods before she looks her dead in the eye. “She has no idea.”

“Wonderful.”

“If it’s any consolation,” Zelena speaks up, “your memories will return when the curse breaks.”

Regina glares at her. “If we knew whose True Love we need, then it would be.”

Zelena rolls her eyes. “Oh stop looking at me like that. I said I was sorry, what more do you want from me?”

“Competence? Consideration?” Regina grumbles. Honestly. “Who the hell simply throws faerie dust into someone else’s curse? You could have wiped our memories entirely, or worse.” Despite all the times she wishes she could forget certain things, she shudders to think what might have happened if something had gone wrong.

“Please, I’m no amateur. I knew what it would do, and if you weren’t so stubborn, I wouldn’t have had to.”

Upper lip curling in the beginning of a snarl, Regina counters, “You didn’t  _ have _ -”

“You really are sisters.”

Jaw clicking shut, she turns on Emma with her glare. “What?”

“The bickering,” Emma replies offhandedly. “it’s cute and totally helping to solve the problem.”

“Shut up and eat your burger.”

“You’re not the boss- oh wait, yes you are.”

She grins, once more leeching the anger from Regina and replacing it with amusement, and just a hint of affection..

“She works for you?”

Emma hums, pointing to herself when she says, “Sheriff.” She points to Regina and adds, “Mayor.”

“Ah, and have you always acted this married?”

“Yes,” they respond simultaneously.

Their eyes meet and Emma tilts her head. “Huh.”

Regina frowns. “What?”

“You noticed?”

“Of course,” she drawls. She’s not  _ blind _ , or blonde for that matter.

“Huh.”

“Would you stop.”

“Sorry.” Grinning again, Emma reasons, “I just figured if anyone mentioned it, you’d threaten to savagely murder them rather than actually admit it.”

Two days ago, she very well might have. Before then, she merely tried not to think about it too often. If her bickering with Zelena were sibling rivalry, then her bickering with Emma was definitely of the old, married couple variety. “I like to keep you guessing,” she lies.

“You continuously succeed,” Emma murmurs, her grin softening to a small, fond smile.

Struggling not to blush at the sight or give in to the desire to bite her lower lip, Regina responds with a murmur of her own. “Naturally,” she says, inwardly sighing, unnaturally happy to witness the smile grow.


	5. Chapter 5

Having covered all they could about the curse without magic and tomes, and inviting Emma’s parents to the diner, which absolutely none of them wanted to do, the three of them had lunch. It had been relatively painless, almost _nice_ even. There was a certain level of discomfort, what with anyone entering the diner after them feeling the need to stare, but otherwise it was good.

Regina has a sister and enough answers to get started on a few solutions, and Emma- Emma has _something_ . Hope, perhaps. Whatever it is, it had put her in a good mood, and kept her in one over the last two hours. Not only that, but it’d given her a confidence boost that had made her take a more _hands on_ approach that Regina found herself appreciating in regards to their _undecided_ relationship.

Emma hadn’t stopped touching her since, and it continues as Emma walks her home. They’re not holding hands, but there is the occasional brush as they walk side by side, and there is still the distinct sensation of Emma’s hand on her lower back from when they’d said their goodbyes to Zelena and left the diner.

“So,” Emma says when they’re almost to the house. Regina glances at her. “Do you think she’s telling the truth?”

“Yes.” She’d had little doubt when they first arrived, and now there is none at all. “I confess,” she adds, “I am somewhat surprised she doesn’t hate me for the fact mother chose to keep me and not her.”

“Why would she?” Emma counters. “If she knows even a quarter of what y- _Cora_ put you through, she’s probably glad not to have been raised by that psycho.”

Heart skipping a beat as the protective little growl in Emma’s tone registers, Regina hums. “Still,” she continues. “We Mills women aren’t exactly known for our rationale.”

Emma snorts, giving her the side-eye. “If you’re expecting me to argue that one, I’m afraid to disappoint.”

“And to think mere hours earlier you’d been overjoyed to do just that.” Regina exaggerates her sigh, doing her best to make it sound as mournful and pathetic as possible. Emma flashes her a grin, and she flashes one back. “Will you be spending the night again?”

Emma doesn’t answer right away, so Regina swerves, bumping into her purposely and causing her to stumble. “Hey!”

“It’s a straightforward question, Miss Swan,” she says because it _is_ , but also because she wants the awkward hesitance to go away and for the confidence to come back. “Yes or no.”

“I wasn’t going to say _no_.”

“No,” she concedes, “but you were likely about to ask me if I wanted you to stay, forcing me to point out the fact I wouldn’t have _asked_ otherwise.” Which would have resulted in the exact _opposite_ of a confident Emma and more of a sputtering, bumbling Emma who, while adorable, is someone Regina is more than familiar with. Confident Emma is… not new, but different enough from the usual to at least _feel_ new. “Now, I imagine you are _ever_ so grateful I saved you the embarrassment, hmm?”

Emma laughs, loud but warm and ever so deep. “You’re such an ass.”

...

“You didn’t tell her.”

Zelena grimaces. After what she’d witnessed between Regina and Emma, she no longer has any intention of passing along Tinkerbell’s message about Robin Hood. He would only complicate things, and if all her spying on Regina over the years has taught her anything, then it’s that her sister would throw away what was right in front of her for a chance at following her so-called _fate_ , simply because she’d think it was the _right_ thing to do.

“Why didn’t you?”

“Why would I? She didn’t seem all that fond of him when they first met,” she replies, finally looking up at the waitress. “Besides, she already has Emma.”

Sitting down across from her, Red smiles and softly says, “Emma’s not her soulmate.”

Zelena scoffs. “Who cares? At least they _know_ each other and their relationship won’t be dictated by a meddling fairy and a hideous tattoo.” Honestly. If that’s all it takes to find love, they’re all better off without it. “Get me a refill, will you?”

Rolling her eyes, Red stands and wanders over to the counter where she’d left the pot of coffee. She saunters back and Zelena can _feel_ her smirk as she watches the sway of her hips. “Here you are, Your _Majesty_.” Refilling her cup, Red comments, “You know she’s going to cross paths with Tink eventually, right?”

“Mmm.” Zelena gestures dismissively. “A minor concern,” she drawls. “If I know Regina as well as I think I do, she’ll be too busy trying to restore everyone’s memories, and in the meantime…” She smiles slowly.

In the meantime, _she_ will deal with Tinkerbell herself.

“When do you get off work?”

“Uh.” Red cranes her neck to look up at the clock on the wall behind her before turning back. “Three more hours, why?”

Rising from her seat, Zelena pauses. It’s been a while since she’d felt uncertain, but if there’s a chance she hasn’t been reading the situation between them wrong- well, it’s also been a while since she’d entertained anyone, and even longer since she’d had the pleasure of a mythical creature warming her bed. “Have dinner with me.”

“Finally,” Red replies as she stands. “I thought I was going to have to wait forever.”

Studying the rather aptly named wolfish grin she wears, Zelena raises a brow. “We only met yesterday.”

“And if you’d asked then,” she flirts, “tonight could’ve been our second date.”

“Well then.” Zelena smirks. She inches closer, close enough to kiss, and she delights in the way Red sways forward before regaining control of herself and jerking back, biting her lip. “Allow me to make it up to you.”

“You think you can?”

It’s cocky, but the pink in her cheeks says far more than the words do. “Oh, little wolf,” Zelena purrs. “I know I can.”

Red shivers, dark-eyed and breathless. “Seven?”

“Mmm.” Smiling wickedly, Zelena grazes a nail along her jaw and when her breath hitches, she taps the bottom of her chin, grinning as she steps back with a murmur of, “Can’t wait.”

She turns, leaving the diner before she ends up embarrassing them both, and humming to herself as she goes in search of that meddlesome little gnat.

...

Hearing footsteps on the stairs, Regina rises and moves across the room to refill her glass of cider. She pours Emma one as well, then turns and holds it out to her as Emma rounds the corner into the study.

Emma smiles as she accepts it. Regina waits for her to swallow her first sip before she moves onto business. She gestures to her desk, piled high with every book she could find regarding amnesia spells and memory potions. “Books or talk? Choose.”

Emma eyes the desk with something approaching terror on her face. “Uh.” She hesitates, this time taking a much larger drink before she looks to her with a hopeful expression. “Occupy Henry?”

“Nice try,” Regina replies, resisting her smile as she says, “I sent him to your parents while you were in the shower.”

Face falling, Emma extends her lower lip in an abominable, yet adorable, pout. “Always ruining my fun.”

“It’s what I do, dear.”

She sighs dramatically and walks over to the desk, throwing herself down into the chair behind it. “What’s there to talk about?”

Regina raises a brow. She thought it would be obvious. In fact, she’s fairly certain it is obvious and Emma is merely stalling. “Your confusion concerning the memories you have of being in love with me,” she drawls. “What else?”

She doesn’t miss the flinch, nor the speed at which Emma tries to cover it. It is, also, virtually impossible to miss the glare that follows. “I’m confused about a lot of things, Regina, but my love for you isn’t one of them.”

Head spinning, Regina stares at her, mouth agape. She didn’t actually mean- she was only trying to get a rise out of her. She didn’t honestly believe it was _love_ . Affection, adoration, lust sure, but love? Based on what? Fake memories and a relationship that’d been no more than a figment of their- _her_ imagination. “What?”

Holding her gaze, Emma replies,“You heard me.”

“You have to be.”

“Why?” She challenges. “Because you say so?” She shakes her head. “Sorry, but unlike the rest of me, my feelings don’t bend to your will.”

“Emma-”

“Books,” she snaps suddenly.

Regina blinks, brow furrowing. “What?”

“My choice.”

“But-”

Shaking her head again, Emma interrupts, “If this conversation isn’t leading to talk of us actually beginning a relationship, then we don’t need to have it. You can pretend my feelings don’t exist.” She smiles thinly and adds, “It’s not hard; I did it for years.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was meant to be twice as long as it is, but I mentioned the possibility of ending the chapter here purely for douchebag reasons, and everyone decided to encourage me. Those of you not on Tumblr, feel free to blame them. Aryousavvy, absedarian and evergrove, specifically.


	6. Chapter 6

_Years_.

Regina sighs inwardly at herself. Almost three hours have passed and that one word persists. Years. They’ve only known each other for three. Has Emma loved her from the start? If not, when? Why? _How_? She’d had so many questions, and Emma had simply picked up the nearest book and begun to read, putting a stop to any potential conversation they might have had following the declaration.

Emma has loved her for years, and now she’s being snubbed for refusing to believe her. Like anyone in their right mind _could_ believe her. The Saviour, in love with the Evil Queen, arch-nemesis of her parents? Emma claims they’re not fairy tales, then dares declare such foolishness? Who does she think she is?

Opening her mouth to ask just that, Emma beats her to it. “No,” she says.

Regina frowns.

It wasn’t a yes or no question.

“No, what?”

Peering up from the book in her hands, Emma replies, “No, to whatever thought you just had; I see that vein. You’re thinking and getting angry, and you’re going to try and take it out on me.” Lowering her gaze back to the book’s pages, she repeats, “No.”

Regina huffs. She isn’t angry. She’s _confused_ and- okay, she’s a little annoyed, but who wouldn’t be in her shoes? Hours ago, the woman she shares a son with, who might very well have one day become her friend (she’s completely on the fence about that now) had declared her feelings for her, and then proceeded to ignore her for three hours.

She’s reformed, she’s not a fucking saint.

“I can hear you thinking.”

“A terrifyingly new experience for you, I’m sure.”

“See.” Emma turns a page and continues to read as she murmurs, “How could I not love you with wit like that?”

Regina frowns. There it is again; another declaration without even batting an eye. Narrowing her own, she demands, “Stop saying that.”

Emma glances at her and smirks. She stands, tossing her book onto the desk. “No, I don’t think I will,” she replies.

Regina watches her stretch, then round the desk. Realizing she’s leaving the room, Regina rises quickly to follow her. “Where are you going?”

“To make dinner.”

“But…” Emma can cook? Since when? More importantly, this is her house and _her_ kitchen, and- “That’s my job.”

Spinning on her heel, that smirk still perfectly visible, Emma continues moving backwards. “Now, honey,” she teases, “true love is sharing responsibility.”

Regina stumbles, shocked, before Emma is there and saving her from what she’s certain would have been an extremely embarrassing accident. She swallows and glances up, noting the concern that stops her from demanding Emma let her go.

Inhaling quietly, she straightens her back. “So we’re True Love now?”

“Considering all we’ve done without even needing to kiss.” Emma shrugs, her grin crooked. “It’s probably something bigger but you know how close minded the people in this town are; everything is all curses and kisses.” She releases her and steps back. Turning, she continues toward the kitchen, adding, “Close-minded and gross; that’s what they are.”

Head shaking, Regina falls into step behind her. She shouldn’t encourage this, but her curiosity always manages to get the better of her. As they enter the kitchen, she questions, “You love me, but the thought of kissing me is gross?”

Emma does a wonderful impression of a whoopee cushion with the sound she makes, and Regina struggles not to chuckle. “The thought of saving lives through a kiss is gross,” Emma corrects while rummaging through the pot cupboard. Before she’s found what she’s looking for, her head pops up above the counter. “Is sex magic a thing?”

Regina stares, thoughts scratching to a halt. This is where curiosity gets her. Especially with Emma. She should have learned by now. She really should have. She sighs. “What?”

“I should be prepared, don’t you think?”

Ordinarily, she’d agree. Preparation is key, after all, to success. How that might apply to their current topic, however, eludes her. Well; _almost_. “We’re onto sex already?”

“I mean, we could be, but you seem against this entire thing for some reason,” Emma counters and ducks back down. She continues from inside the cupboard. “Personally, I was onto sex the day I took a chainsaw to your apple tree.”

It doesn’t; she would be dead if it did, but Regina swears her heart stops for a good, long while. She definitely stops breathing and her brain sputters multiple times before she gives up trying to force a coherent thought. She’d wanted to know how long Emma has wanted her, and here she has her answer without even having asked for it.

She had planned to. Eventually- when Emma stopped surprising her, perhaps.

Minutes pass before she tries to speak. She starts and stops a number of times, torn between questioning it and simply gaping at Emma in disbelief. The incident with the chainsaw had occurred a mere two days after they’d met and, if she’s being honest with herself, it also annoys her that she hadn’t known.

She’s not quite sure what it might have changed _had_ she known, but it annoys her nonetheless.

“Rice or noodles?”

Starting, blinking back to the present, she frowns. “What?”

“Stir fry?” Emma taps the wok she’d found at some point. “Do you have a preference?”

“No.” Why, exactly, are they talking about stir fry? “Emma, I’m-”

“Please don’t.” Regina closes her mouth, lips pursed while she waits. Emma turns toward her. “I meant what I said in the study,” she says. “I’ve known from the start that if you were just a little bit nicer to me, I would easily fall in love with you, then you were, and I did. I’ve never expected anything from you- I still don’t, but _you_ gave me those memories. You want something you think I can give you, something I _know_ I can give you. I’m not the one that needs to process this.”

Turning back to the stove, she starts dumping things into the wok. “I’m not going anywhere,” she adds. “Think about it, and let me keep my hope a little bit longer.”

...

The search for Tinkerbell takes a tad longer than Zelena had hoped. She ended up returning to the diner to ask Red for suggestions, and now wishes she’d skipped the whole ordeal. She could have been on a date, but no, she’d asked Red to wait just a little longer only to stumble upon _this_ ; fairy and pirate going at it like bunnies.

Silently, she thanks her lucky stars to have been spared the unsightly misfortune of seeing Hook naked. Loudly, she cackles, and nearly doubles over in genuine laughter when it startles them both bad enough that Tinkerbell topples off the bed and onto the floor.

Tinkerbell groans while Hook turns a lovely shade of red and scrambles to cover himself. “What the bloody hell-”

Zelena waves her hand, aiding him in the endeavor as well as taking his voice. “Do be quiet.” Glancing over at Tinkerbell, she smirks, amused by the sight of the fairy struggling to free herself from the sheet tangled about her waist. “You and I need to have a little chat, then I’d advise seeking out the resident therapist to assist you with your poor life choices.”

Pivoting, she yanks open the door to the Captain’s cabin and steps out, slamming the door behind her before she pauses to shudder. She will never understand the appeal men like Killian have on other women. He is, at best, completely full of himself and, at worst, a thoroughly revolting specimen not even fit to grace the bottom of another’s shoe.

Making her way through the ship and up onto the deck, Zelena wanders over to the railing closest to the dock and looks out over the water. Finding the fairy in bed with him only cements her decision not to tell Regina a damn thing. Who knows what kind of man Tinkerbell had found in Robin Hood? If he’s anything like Hook, she’ll kill him with her own bare hands before allowing him anywhere near her sister.

“How can I help you, Zelena?”

Flinching, not having heard the approaching footsteps, she takes a breath and releases it slowly before turning around. Looking Tinkerbell up and down, she smirks. The voice had _sounded_ confident, but the expression is anything but. “Nervous?”

Tinkerbell scowls and crosses her arms. “I don’t exactly have the greatest history with your family.”

“You don’t have history with my _family_ .” Pushing from the railing, Zelena takes a step forward and lowers her voice. “If you did, you’d be _dead_ for all your meddling.” Gesturing dismissively when Tinkerbell opens her mouth to retort, she continues. “Luckily for you, our mother was trapped in Wonderland and I had yet to discover a way to the Enchanted Forest so that I might protect my sister from people like you.”

“ _Me_?” Outraged, Tinkerbell scowls. “All I did was try to help!”

“Help?” Zelena chuckles. How many people from Regina’s past would try to make such a claim, she wonders. “Oh yes, I’m certain her entering the tavern that night and falling into the arms of a complete stranger while she was married to the King would have been _real_ helpful.” She snorts. “Yes, _Leopold_ certainly would have appreciated having their heads to fill up some space in his trophy room.”

Shoulders slumping, arms falling to her sides, Tinkerbell sighs. “I made a mistake,” she admits. “I accept that, that’s why I’m _trying_ to make it up to her-”

“By getting in the way of _real_ love,” Zelena interrupts. “With someone she knows, who has genuine feelings for her, who knows _her_ and has stood by her during some of the worst moments in her life?” She scoffs. “She made her decision that night. You’re not trying to _help_ , you’re trying to guilt her into making the decision you need her to make so you can stop feeling like a _failure_.”

When the only retort is a heavy silence and a wide, not so innocent stare, her upper lip curls and she clenches her jaw. “Stay away from my sister,” she growls, flicking her wrist and vanishing from sight.

…

Hope.

The word had rung like a bell through Regina’s head for the rest of the night. She had seen it that afternoon in the diner, but some time between then and watching Emma cook dinner, she’d forgotten all about it. She was no more closer to understanding it than she had then. Knowing the reason behind it, knowing exactly what Emma was hoping _for_ hadn’t helped at all.

For hours, she’d laid there in bed, in the pitch black dark of her room, _thinking_ when she should have been sleeping. She should have put it out of her mind, at least for a time, but she couldn’t quite let it go. She wanted Emma, there was no mistaking that, but the how of the matter continued to elude her. She couldn’t deny the attraction, or the fact it wasn’t just a physical attraction. Emma was smart in a way; logical and blunt to the point of offense. She was funny, oddly adorable when she wanted to be, and stupidly noble and _good_ when she needed to be.

She wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but nor had she ever claimed to be. There was a certain draw there. It was rare when a person would admit their own faults and embrace them, and rarer still that that person would be related to Snow White, of all people.

It was the type of draw that refused to be ignored or brushed aside for something as insignificant as sleep. A draw that, once she’d admitted it was there and accepted it, demanded something be done about it.

It had been only minutes after the realization that Regina got out of bed and made her way down the hall. She didn’t know what she was going to say or do, or even if Emma was still awake. What she did- what she _does_ know is that she never wants Emma to lose hope, and she’s damn well going to do _something_ to ensure that never happens.

Standing outside the door to the guest bedroom, she takes a slow, deep breath, and then knocks.

She waits, heart beating a little too fast to be healthy.

Just when she makes the decision to give up and try again later in the morning, the door swings open and Emma is suddenly there with tousled hair, wearing a long, baggy shirt that looks suspiciously familiar, and nothing else.

“Hey.”

Tearing her gaze from those absurdly long, muscled legs, Regina croaks, “Hey.”

Crooked and dopey, Emma grins. “Couldn’t sleep?”

“Honestly can’t say I tried,” Regina admits. She’d tossed and turned more times than she’d cared to count, but it had never once occurred to her to close her eyes.

Nodding, Emma steps back and gestures, inviting her in. “Wanna talk about it?”

Slipping passed her, Regina gingerly makes her way across the moonlit room to the unmade bed in the middle. She sits on the edge and sighs. “I wouldn’t know where to start.”

“Well,” Emma drawls, taking a seat next to her. “How do you feel?”

Regina snorts, the question reminding her of Archie and what it was like to be in therapy. If not for the genuine concern in not only Emma’s tone, but her expression as well, she’s fairly certain she’d have started laughing. “In general? Confused,” she confesses instead. “About you? I don’t know.”

Looking away, not wanting to see the hurt she’s sure to be there, Emma jerks her attention right back with her next words.

“That’s a start.”

Incredulous, Regina silently stares at her. They’ve had a similar conversation once before, right after their return from Neverland. It surprises her no less now than it had then. “Is it?”

Emma shrugs. “Sure, I know you’d have no problem telling me if you hated me. _I don’t know_ is preferable in comparison.”

Scooting further back onto the bed, Emma lies down. Regina brings her own legs up onto the bed. She sits back against the headboard and waits for Emma to settle close to her side before she admits, “I don’t think I ever have.”

“Really?”

Glancing down at her, seeing that hope return to Emma’s face once more, Regina basks in it as she breathes, “Really.”

“Wow.” Emma chuckles. Grinning, she says, “I am both overjoyed and a bit scared.”

Regina raises a brow. “Scared?”

“The fact you _didn’t_ hate me that first year when you were making my life hell? Yeah.” Emma shuffles closer and throws an arm across her lap. “I mean, what do you do to the people you _do_ hate?”

“Ask your mother,” Regina deadpans.

“Right.” Sounding sheepish, Emma’s face vanishes into her hip with a muffled, “Sorry.”

Regina smiles softly and places a hand on her arm, rubbing it gently in an attempt to reassure her. “For?”

Emma hesitates, the silence thick but brief before she replies, “I sometimes forget.”

“You shouldn’t.”

She hums. “I know.”

This time the silence is longer but no less thick. There is more that needs to be said, she knows, but it’s late and she’s tired. It had been around 2 in the morning when she’d left her room and at least an hour has passed since.

Deciding, finally, to close her eyes, Regina has just started to drift off when Emma, sounding just as tired, questions, “Are we really going to sleep like this?”

Regina snaps her eyes open and starts to get up. She hadn’t even considered _that_. “I can go back-”

“No,” Emma interrupts, tightening the arm around her. “Just making sure you’re comfortable.”

Relief coursing through her, Regina sinks back against the headboard with a sigh. “I may not know exactly how I feel,” she murmurs sleepily, “but I do know I’ve never been comfortable with anyone more than I am with you.”

“Yeah?”

Hope; it radiates from Emma in abundance and, once more closing her eyes, Regina whispers, “Yes.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a little shorter than I'd like, but hey, an update is an update and I like where I've ended the chapter.

If anyone had told Regina she’d one day find herself waking up in bed next to Emma Swan, she would have laughed in their face. More; if anyone had told her she’d enjoy waking up in bed next to Emma Swan, she’d probably have set them on fire, and been wrong for doing so. She has never been more warm, or felt more safe in her life.

Unfortunately, having woken up with a full bladder, neither of these things are at all comforting in her current situation. Worse, Emma has the arm strength of a grumpy troll and her efforts to move these last five minutes or so have been fruitless. Any attempt to gently try and coax her awake has resulted in little more than grumbling, and there’s no way she can magic herself from the arms without taking Emma with her.

She’s left with little choice.

With as much annoyance in her voice as possible (all of it entirely feigned) she snaps, “Miss Swan!”

The effect is immediate. Emma not only jerks awake, but she almost falls out of bed upon doing so. Regina flies out of bed in her rush to the bathroom, sparing a brief but apologetic glance back before she slams the door shut.

She returns within minutes, genuinely annoyed with herself because all she’d been able to think about in the short time she was gone had been the warmth she’d had to leave. The annoyance dissipates the moment her eyes land on the bed, however. Emma has already drifted off back to sleep, but her body is curved in a way that says she’d expected her to come back to bed.

Glancing at the alarm on the bedside table, Regina bites her bottom lip, tempted. There’s time, though she’s uncertain how much. They’d made some progress yesterday, but not a lot. Really all they’d achieved was figuring out which books were going to be the least helpful to them, but it was something, at least.

They’d probably have progressed further if Emma had remembered where she’d put the vial that had the memory potion in it. She has no problem remembering any of their confrontations, down to the most minute detail, such as what outfit Regina had worn at the time, but ask her to remember something important- something she _should_ know, and she draws a complete blank; the woman is a menace.

An extremely, infuriatingly _inviting_ menace.

Mind already made up, Regina climbs back into bed. She’s barely settled when an arm is draped across her waist and she’s pulled tight against the soft, warm body behind her. She closes her eyes, mouth tilting upwards at the sensation of a nose burrowing into her neck, and sighing deeply before surrendering to the pull of sleep.

* * *

 

The second time she wakes is far preferable to the first. There’s the increasingly familiar warmth that is somehow, irrevocably different from any other, the soft scratch of an occasional page being turned and, best of all; the heavenly scent beginning to fill her nose that banishes sleep almost as skilfully, and as swiftly as any nightmare would.

“I smell coffee.”

“You sleep like you’re dead,” comes the murmur from behind and above her. “I brought you a cup- on the nightstand.”

Lids fluttering open, she spots the cup instantly and sighs. “Thank you,” she says, pushing herself up with one arm and reaching for the cup with the other.

“Mhm.”

Taking a sip, she closes her eyes briefly, content as she allows the thought of waking up like this every morning to wash over her. Whether or not it’s because she’s not quite awake yet, she isn’t sure, but the thought is certainly appealing enough to warrant consideration. It only comes as a slight surprise when she concludes that it isn’t really the coffee that makes the thought appealing either.

Taking one more sip, humming as it slips down her throat, she returns the cup to the nightstand and shifts, sitting back against the headboard as she turns toward Emma. “What is that?”

Emma looks up, brow and lip playfully cocked. “A book.”

Regina rolls her eyes. She can see _that_ , obviously, though she supposes she _did_ deserve the asinine answer. It’s the priorities, however- the thought process that confuses her. “You woke up, made coffee, and then came back to bed to read beside me while I slept?”

Who does that? Honestly.

“Did I have some other reason to come back to bed?” Emma questions coyly, lashes fluttering.

Stomach jolting, Regina stifles a groan. She should have known this was a bad idea; sharing a bed. Emma is by far too attractive to her sleepy, sex-addled morning brain. Face warm, she chides, “Don’t start.”

“Wasn’t aware I stopped,” Emma quips as her attention returns to the book and the silence takes over.

Regina takes the reprieve, allowing her mind to wander dangerous places while she uses the time to finish her coffee. By the time she finishes the cup, the thoughts have done a number on her. She glances sideways at Emma to make sure the woman hasn’t noticed all of her shifting, and again rolls her eyes in realization that Emma appears genuinely interested in whatever it is she’s reading.

It’s clearly a spell book, which she supposes makes sense, but Emma? Reading? Willingly? How long has she been awake for that to have seemed like a good idea?

“Are you really this invested in breaking the curse?”

“Eh.”

Frowning, Regina looks at her more carefully. That wasn’t quite the response she expected. Honestly, it doesn’t even come close. Does Emma not _want_ to break the curse? “Care to elaborate?”

With a sigh, Emma sets the book down in her lap. “If by invested you mean doing what I think I should- what’s _expected_ of me, then yeah, but if I’m being honest?” She turns, looking her straight in the eye as she confesses, “I wouldn’t mind if it takes a while longer.”

Curiosity piqued, Regina tilts her head in question. She doesn’t ask. She doesn’t need to, as Emma smiles softly and, with a shrug, she adds, “I like spending time with you.”

Not as surprised by the confession as she thinks she probably ought to be, Regina questions, “You think returning my memories will change how much time we spend together?”

“It’s not you I’m worried about,” Emma admits quietly.

“Ah.” Her parents then. As helpful and friendly as Emma tries to be, Regina doubts her worry extends toward anyone else in town. She offers,  “I could always ward the house against everyone else.”

Chuckling, Emma says, “Do that and I’ll never leave.”

Mind already shuffling through all the possible spells she might invoke to keep people away, Regina murmurs, “What a horrid thought.”

Emma grins. “You’re so nice.”

Regina smirks and lowers her voice playfully. “Isn’t that why you love me?”

Emma, dopey and sweet, grins even wider as she replies near breathlessly, “Yeah.”

* * *

 

Someone calls Emma mid-afternoon. Regina doesn’t know who and she doesn’t ask, but Emma storms out of the house minutes after hanging up, looking a good deal unhappier than Regina has seen her in a while. She decides it’s the perfect time for a break, tired of perusing books that only seem to provide impossible solutions to their memory problem and little else.

Emma returns about an hour later. She marches into the kitchen as Regina pulls the muffins she’d decided were a more worthwhile use of her time from the oven. Zelena and Henry enter behind her, their expressions eerily similar, both grinning widely and in stark contrast to the scowl Emma wears.

“What happened?” She directs the question to Emma but when she receives nothing more than a grunt before Emma disappears into the fridge, she turns her attention to what she is certain are two troublemakers. “Well?”

Zelena gestures dismissively as she slides onto a stool at the counter. “A simple misunderstanding.” A sound Regina would be hard pressed to describe comes from inside the fridge and Zelena sighs. “I used a little magic is all,” she explains. “No one _died_ or anything.”

“It was _so_ cool,” Henry says from beside her and Zelena beams.

Regina folds her arms and eyes them both, confident there’s more to the story than a little bit of magic. Emma wouldn’t be upset enough she’s unable to talk over a little bit of magic. “Explain,” she demands.

Zelena eyes her back, sizing her up before her shoulders slump and she caves. “I may have given a certain fairy the ability to fly again.” She bites her bottom lip when Henry starts to laugh. Regina raises a brow and, eyes rolling, Zelena adds, “She may also have been indoors at the time… and not expecting to suddenly have the ability.”

Regina blinks, first at her sister, and then at her son. She has a number of questions, a great many of which she’s certain Emma won’t find amusing in the slightest. She clears her throat and dismisses… most of them. “Why?”

Zelena shrugs. “She did something I asked her not to.”

“She was telling me about-” A hand clamps down over Henry’s mouth before he can finish and Regina’s gaze snaps to Zelena, who smiles sweetly back at her.

“Don’t mind him,” she says. “Too much sugar; poor boy is delirious.”

“Robin Hood.” Regina whips around to stare at Emma, brow furrowing. Emma nods in the direction of Zelena and Henry. “Tinkerbell was trying to tell him about Robin when your sister intervened.”

Emma then stares at her like she expects her to know why any of what she’d just said is relevant. Regina frowns because she _doesn’t_.  “That hardly explains why you’re upset.”

“You remember, on the way back from Neverland, telling me about the dude with the lion tattoo?”

Regina nods.

“Emma,” Zelena hisses.

Emma ignores her. “It’s Robin.”

_Oh, right. That._

Regina shakes her head. To think she’d actually been worried. Relieved, she replies, “I know.”

“He’s your...” Emma pauses, blinking once. Twice. A third time. “I’m sorry, did you just say you know?”

“That Robin Hood is my soulmate.” Emma’s mouth falls open and Regina smirk. “Yes, I know.”

Emma sputters. “How?”

“I met him the day we returned, a few minutes before I came into the diner and found you two.” She’d seen the tattoo right as he’d introduced himself, hand outstretched. She’d known instantly, and rejected his advances just the same.

Really; who meets someone for the first time and invites themselves to breakfast? Even if she had been interested, he’d lost points almost immediately.

Besides, she’d forgotten all about him five minutes later when she finished ordering and turned around to find the impish face of the son she thought she’d never see again and Emma bloody Swan throwing herself across the room at her.

Regina smiles at the thought before she notices the three of them staring at her like she’d just killed someone. “What?”

“Okay,” Emma, exasperated, says, “I’m confused.”

“Me too,” Zelena agrees.

“Yeah,” Henry joins in. “Don’t you care, Mom?”

She probably should, but honestly? “No, not really,” she answers truthfully. “I didn’t want him when I needed him most, why would I want him now, when I have all that I need right here?”


	8. Chapter 8

Their eyes lock and Regina has to hide a grin. Emma looks about ready to throw herself across the room again. She moves away from the counter just in case, not wanting Emma to hurt herself- or her, for that matter, and continues their stare down.

“Come along, Henry,” she hears Zelena murmur.

Henry groans. “Something gross is about to happen, isn’t it?”

“Most likely,” her sister replies.

“Ma, when you and Mom are done being sappy, you left the potion bottle in the glove box.”

Biting the inside of her cheek, Regina watches Emma blink rapidly, as if coming out of a daze, and turn to their son. “What?”

“Po-tion,” he says more slowly. “Glove-box.”

“Oh.”

“Henry,” Zelena calls from somewhere else in the house; the foyer, Regina suspects. “Hurry or I’m leaving without you!”

Henry jumps up from his stool and makes a mad dash for the door. “Bye moms!”

Emma follows his retreat, her mouth quirked. Regina continues to watch her, curious what she might do now that they’re alone. Emma meets her gaze after a moment and there’s so much adoration in her eyes that Regina has to move a little closer, near in awe that it’s for her.

“So…” Emma too takes a step closer. “You have all you need right here, huh?”

“Mhmm.” All that she needs and more if the look in those eyes is any indication.

“I’m not reading too much into this, am i?”

“No.” She almost scoffs at the idiocy of the question given the current pull growing between them, but the look continues to draw her in. She’s soft. So soft. “You’re not.”

“So…”

Mere inches apart, she lifts a brow and repeats, “So?”

Emma grins as she leans in. “Wanna make-out?”

Throwing her head back, Regina laughs. This is the woman who has charmed her. convinced her to take a second chance on love- a chance she swore she would never take again. Head tipping forward with a smirk, she drawls, “Perhaps.”

“Yeah?”

“I’d like a sample first,” she reasons. Kissing has always been her favourite part of any relationship; she’ll be damned if she commits to someone who’s bad at it, though if her dream last night was anything at all like reality; kissing Emma Swan will turn out to be the best decision of her life.

“I think I can manage that.” She’s about to retort something impatient when the simple brush of fingers against her cheek takes her breath, leaving her speechless. Emma gazes at her, knowing in her eyes, and a crooked smile on her lips. She murmurs softly, “You can be as mean and as demanding as you like... later.”

Regina chuckles. The knowledge that Emma knows her so well warms every inch of her. “Maybe you should shut up and kiss me before I get the chance,” she purrs, swaying forward, breath hitching when their mouths meet then and there, for the very first time.

A singular brush of a soft lower lip against her own is all it takes for Regina to want more. She drapes her arms over shoulders and folds them around Emma’s neck, taking all that Emma is willing to give, pressing into her in an attempt to get closer, and growling when it’s not close enough.

Emma grabs her by the hips and turns them around, morphing the growl into an appreciative rumbling in the back of Regina’s throat as she is then deliciously pinned against the counter in the center of the room. She deepens the kiss, want and gratitude coalescing into the thrust of her tongue into a wonderfully warm, wet mouth, drawing a sound so wanton it curls her toes and makes her stomach clench violently.

Emma must have experienced something similar, for she breaks the kiss with a gasp. Regina catches a glimpse of dark, dark eyes before she’s distracted by all of this skin, exposed to her the second Emma leans her head back. She latches on to Emma’s pulse, sucking gently, lips tingling with the vibrations of Emma’s low, sexy chuckle.

“For the record,” Emma murmurs, sliding a hand into her hair. “You kissed me first.”

Regina nips at her throat, then says, “It’s hardly my fault you’re so slow.”

“I wasn’t complaining.”

She raises her head, along with a brow. “No?”

“No,” Emma repeats, smiling widely. “In fact, I wouldn’t mind if you did it again.”

“I think I can manage that,” Regina teases, waiting just long enough for the feigned outrage at being mimicked to cross Emma’s expression before she does exactly that and claims her lips for their second, and definitely  _ not  _ final, kiss.

 

...

 

They’re, at most, a quarter of the way to town when it happens; a swift breeze and a faint, coloured light blows passed them, spreading across the area as fast as the wind will carry it. Zelena catches his pause and the shake of his head, then catches him by the collar of the shirt as he attempts to turn around. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Henry gazes up at her, his eyes as wide as his head will allow. He struggles only briefly when she doesn’t immediately release him, and slumps. “My mom-”

“If I’m not mistaking that light in your eyes-” she interrupts, letting go of his collar. “-you just had your memories returned not stolen, which means you should remember why we’re out here to begin with.”

Realization, and then a grimace contorts his expression. “Ew.”

“Exactly,” she agrees and pats him on the shoulder. “And that is why you’re taking a lovely stroll with your extremely good looking, delightful Aunt.”

He wrinkles his nose but wisely chooses not to comment, instead asking, “Where are we going?”

Resuming the walk, she keeps an eye on him to ensure he’s following before she answers. “I thought we might stop in at the diner...” She waits for him to fall into step beside her before she continues, “For something high enough in sugar that your sexy mother will sense your imminent coma and tear herself away from sucking face with the hot blonde long enough to come and scold me… and re-reunite with her no longer amnesiac son.”

He turns his head slowly towards her. “There was a lot of gross in that sentence and I am now traumatized,” he states, his tone as deadpan as the look on his face. “Can you give me back my amnesia?”

She laughs. Everything about the moment screamed Regina, except maybe the words themselves, which she assumes is something Emma is more likely to say. It’s nice, she notes silently; to see both of his mothers’ influence on him. Speaking of mothers’, though. “Yes,” she admits. “However, I like living too much to consider it.”

He sighs, sounding as if she’d just placed the entire world on his shoulders when he says, “You’re no fun.”

“I am a lot of fun,” she disagrees with an offended sniff and a dismissive flick of her wrist. “You’re simply too young to appreciate it.”

“Uh huh.” Silence; something else he doesn’t appear to appreciate, as he breaks it after all of three point five seconds.  “So we’re really going to the diner to see Red, right?”

Feeling her cheeks warm at being so easily called out by a  _ five year old _ , she refuses to look at him and can feel his smug grin as she replies, “What gave you that idea?”

“She’s hot.”

Jerking, turning to him fast enough to almost give herself whiplash, she screws up her entire face. “Now who’s being gross? You’re like ten.”

“Thirteen.” he corrects. She opens her mouth to ask him what the difference is when he adds, “I was about ten when I had a crush on her though.”

Her jaw snaps shut and she shudders. “Please stop.”

“Not so fun now, huh?”

No.  _ No _ , finding out she’d spent the night and the better part of the morning naked in bed, and other parts of her new house, with a woman her teenage nephew had had a crush on was not fun. Not fun _ at all. _

“Point,” she concedes, “you little devil spawn.”

He stops just ahead of her and pivots, grinning as he holds out his hand and says, “I’m Henry, your nephew; nice to meet you.”

She smirks. “Zelena,” she says, taking his hand in hers and shaking it firmly. “It’s a definite pleasure, nephew of mine.”

 

...

 

There’s a delay, but when the memories hit, Regina nearly chokes on her gasp. She had had the realization a month into their year without Emma and Henry. Her son wasn’t the only person she’d missed, and the first person to figure it out had been Snow.  _ Snow goddamn White _ had given her her blessing, and then convinced her to break Charming’s heart in two in the hope that casting another curse would reunite them all.

_ That stupid, idiotic- _

“Earth to Regina.”

Thoughts screeching to a halt, she blinks. Right. Emma, who she’d just been passionately making out with on the couch, who looks really concerned about her right now. Regina shakes her head because of course Emma looks concerned; one minute they were making out, and the next, she’d jerked away from her like it was 1347 and she were afraid of catching the bubonic plague.

“You okay?” Swallowing, Regina nods. “Okay… wanna tell me what just happened?”

“Memories,” she croaks and Emma’s eyes widen.

“They’re back?” Regina nods again. “Bad?”

“No.” Shocking, surprising and a little bit terrifying; sure, but no. She licks suddenly dry lips and assures, “Not bad.” Not bad at all. “Not now.” Then? When Emma was nowhere in sight and Snow White was the only person she’d been able to share the realization with, then it was bad. “Good.”

Emma starts to smile. “Yeah?”

“Yes.” People had started to forgive her. Some had even worried about her. There had been a few annoyances; like Robin. He had really gotten on her nerves, which reminds her; “He’s an ass.”

Emma frowns. “Who?”

“Robin.” Regina grimaces, the memories of his attempts to court her rushing in. “He spits when he talks.” There were so many things wrong with him, but it’s that that stands out above all else. She shudders. “Made me feel like I needed a shower all the time.”

Emma’s face contorts in amused disgust and it’s obvious she’s trying not to laugh. “How is someone like that your soulmate?”

“Let’s pretend he isn’t,” Regina says, earning her a chuckle, finally. “You’ll have to take over.”

“Sorry, no can do.” Her face falls, but then Emma is there and pressing a soft kiss to her lips that lifts her spirits better than anything else. She’s already well on her way to smiling when Emma murmurs against her mouth, “Even though breaking curses with kisses is gross, I’d rather remain your True Love.”

Laughing, relieved, Regina wraps her arms around her neck as Emma pulls her back into her lap with a grin. Regina kisses her, unable to help herself. She has a true love. Emma- Emma Swan, bane of her existence, is her true love.

“Oh my god.”

“What?” Emma hums, lips moving to her jaw.

Threading a hand in her hair, Regina tugs and waits for her to look up before she says, “You’re my true love.”

“That I am.”

Emma leans in to resume their kiss but Regina leans further back. “And we broke the curse.”

A sigh, only just audible tickles her chin. “That we did.”

“Henry will have his memories back.”

Emma groans and throws her whole body back against the couch with a muttered, “Damn it.”

Startled, Regina frowns at her. “What?”

“I was… kind of hoping it would take you a little bit longer to realize that.”

Her eyes narrow, voice low when she questions, “You were purposely keeping me from my son?”

“Our son,” Emma corrects, “and… sort of.” When Regina glares, she throws up her hands. “Oh, come on, you think Zelena isn’t keeping him from storming through that door and launching himself at you? She’s probably promised him all sorts of sugary goodness to keep him away.”

“Zelena,” Regina repeats, just barely keeping the sneer from her face, memories reminding her that she has a sister, and also that her sister is an asshole.

“Uh oh,” Emma mutters.

“I can’t believe you let our son hang around with delinquents.” The number of pranks she’d had to put up with all year; it was no wonder Zelena was so dismissive about everything. She likely remembered Regina had promised to kill her if she pulled another, and then she goes and gives them all amnesia.

The growl that passes her lips startles Emma.

“You remember I’m your true love, right?”

Blinking, Regina looks at her. “Oh.” That- that is slightly more important than murdering her sister, yes.

“Yeah.” Back to grinning her ridiculous grin, Emma asks, “Don’t you want to celebrate?”

Regina bites her lip. It’s certainly something  _ to _ celebrate. “Maybe.”

“Maybe?” Emma drawls, tone teasing. She slips a hand beneath her shirt and says, “That’s not a no.”

“No,” Regina agrees, eyes fluttering shut as fingers begin a slow ascent passed her hip and up over her ribs.

“Yes?” Emma murmurs the question against her skin, lips pressed to her throat and Regina groans, nodding as she feels those same lips quirk. “That’s more like it.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is quite a bit shorter than the other chapters but 1) It's smut, so... that. 2) It was due an update and 3) I haven't written anything in weeks, so the fact I managed this is a damn miracle.

Kissing Emma is something else. It’s new and exciting, and addictive. The warmth, the texture, the taste of her mouth is all consuming. The kisses themselves are rough and needy, and yet somehow sweet all at once. Emma kisses like there is nothing she could possibly want more, except, perhaps, to strip Regina bare and kiss her all over.

The thought is arousing, but the hands that make Regina aware of exactly what Emma wants are even more so. They tease and stroke, grab and squeeze, and with every breath, Regina grows more and more aroused. She encourages Emma with quiet little moans and heady whimpers, near mindless with the simple pleasure of those hands on her body; nowhere close to where she needs them most, but exactly where she wants them.

How they went from a simple make-out session to Emma having her wrapped around a finger, Regina doesn’t know, but nor does she care. All she cares about now is whether or not she’ll go mad before Emma finally gives in and _takes_ what she wants, too lost in all these sensations to part with Emma’s lips in order to demand that she satisfy them both.

Time passes in a haze of sound and heat.

Fingers tangle within in her hair and a hand drops to the cheek of her ass, squeezing. Regina groans her appreciation into the kiss, and then Emma is tipping her, guiding her onto her back as she settles on top of her.

The weight and added heat of Emma’s body is absolutely _glorious_ , which means it takes substantial effort to put a stop to the kissing. Regina manages it long enough to issue the one demand that will make everything all the more better. “Take off your clothes.”

Emma chuckles against her mouth before nipping her lower lip. “So bossy,” she teases, humming as she kisses along her jaw and down her neck, teeth grazing against her collarbone. She sits up suddenly, straddling her waist. “You sure?”

Regina scowls. Of course she’s fucking sure. “Take them off before I shred them,” she growls, already reaching for the buttons on her own blouse.

Emma grabs her hands, causing the scowl to deepen. She laughs, amused and unafraid as she claims, “That’s my job.”

“Then get on with it,” Regina retorts, irritation in her voice.

Green eyes rolling, Emma shakes her head with a smile before she reaches for the hem of her shirt and swiftly pulls it up over her head. When Regina gapes, impatience fading away in favour of hunger and awe, Emma smirks and unhooks her bra. 

Suddenly wanting nothing more than to have Emma’s beautiful breasts in her mouth, Regina shoots up from her back and tears the garment from Emma’s arms, head bowed, her lips wrapped around a stiff little nub before Emma even has the chance to react.

“Jesus,” Emma gasps, palming the back of her head as she arches.

Regina moans into her breast, then sucks hard, pulling as much of it into her mouth as possible. She bathes every inch with her tongue, rough strokes interspersed with the occasional nibble that has Emma writhing above her and making all kinds of sounds in no time at all.

“Fucking hell.”

Grinning, Regina switches breasts, biting, sucking and swirling her tongue. Feeling Emma harden once more in her mouth has her mind wandering to other places in which she might experience a similar sensation, the slickness between her thighs increasing with the thought of Emma’s slickness on her tongue, her chin and- well; wherever else on her body Emma might decide to rub herself, really.

She can’t believe she’d never thought to do this before, though she doesn’t dwell. She can kick herself, repeatedly, later when there aren’t more important things to be done. Emma’s pants, for instance; they need to come off before she can put her mouth where it really wants to be.

Teeth grazing skin as she allows Emma’s breast to slip from her mouth, she glances up and her breath hitches. Emma is absolutely _gorgeous_ like this; head tipped back as she basks in her pleasure, eyes closed and lips parted for the soft, shallow breaths that leave her mouth.

Regina groans. She _needs_ to see Emma naked, preferably squirming beneath her, gripping the sheets on her bed, begging her to stop while Regina ignores her in favour of making her come, come and come again..

Lips ghosting Emma’s throat, Regina breathes quietly through her nose and, upon gaining some semblance of control, she flicks her wrist, reversing their positions and transporting them to her bedroom in a single thought. She kisses Emma before any potential protest, humming when Emma kisses back without hesitation, back arching. moaning as Regina palms her breasts.

Resisting the urge to draw this out a little while longer, Regina slowly pulls back from the kiss, nipping a swollen lower lip, chuckling when Emma whines softly in her throat. ”I need to see you,” she whispers the confession, kissing a line down that same throat and nibbling her collarbone as she reaches for Emma’s belt and tugs.

The zipper sticks and she growls, patience already so very thin. She ignores Emma’s offer of help and summons her magic one last time, rendering them both naked with a simple flick. Their moans seem to merge, becoming one long, loud sound that only adds to the slickness between her thighs and the heat in her veins.

The pleas begin almost as soon as the moaning stops and despite what she might tell herself later, Regina is helpless against them. She’d have been fine had she not looked up into those eyes and seen the sheer desperation on Emma’s face, but hearing Emma beg surprises her and she has no choice.

The desire in those eyes hits her full force, overwhelming her with the want to rid Emma of the expression- the _need_ to be the one to do it, and to do it _right now_. 

She appreciates; a brief glance to memorize the image of Emma naked and wanton beneath her, and then with lips and tongue as she kisses, licks and sucks her way down this magnificent body. Emma is all hard muscle and soft skin, warm and pliant beneath her mouth- sensitive between her teeth as she nips; a breast, a hip, a thigh.

Hands in her hair, Emma offers encouragement with sounds that slither beneath her skin; a whimper here, a moan there. Regina cherishes them and shows her own appreciation with swift action, slipping her tongue between slick, hot lips and delving into the sweet, wet warmth of Emma’s centre.

A surge of heat spills into her mouth and Emma moans, fingers tightening their grip as she rolls her hips. Regina hums against her. Emma tastes divine and she feels even better. Her walls clench rhythmically, thighs flexing beneath Regina’s palms, and when Regina moves to her clit, Emma bucks with an intensity that almost, _almost_ dislodges Regina from her new favourite place.

Emma grips her tighter, nails nearly piercing her scalp. She says her name, stuttering and breathless. It’s all the warning Regina gets before Emma is coming, arching her spine and bucking her hips.

 

...

 

“Has Mom answered yet?”

Zelena shakes her head with a smirk, not in the least bit surprised that her sister has yet to surface. Considering the sexual tension between her and Emma when they’d left, she’d have been disappointed _had_ Regina answered her already.

Hell, if Regina is anything like she hopes, they won’t hear from her until tomorrow at the earliest.

“Want to go see your grandparents?”

Henry frowns. “I thought we were gonna wait?”

Zelena shrugs. “We could be here all day.” Seeing his frown deepen, she rolls her eyes and warns, “Try not to think about that too hard.”

His face contorts in equal parts understanding and disgust. “Ew.”

She nods, though not in agreement. At all. Her sister and Emma? _Hot_. Her own parents? Biological or Adoptive? Seriously ew. She sniffs, just barely resisting a shudder. “So, grandparents?” 

Henry nods quickly, completely missing the return of her smirk as he jumps up from their booth and makes a mad dash for the exit.

“Teenagers.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m back for a hot second. I’ve been reading some horrid stories lately and it’s been making me angry, so I decided to write something to cheer me up.

A phone rings somewhere but Regina silences it with the wave of a hand. It isn’t the first time. It’s been ringing all day. She’d been tempted to destroy it the second time. The sixth time, she’s ready to destroy the whole town but Emma is a good distraction- a wonderful distraction. Whether it’s with a breathy whimper, or arms and legs wrapped around her and with Emma laughing her idiotic little head off, the temptation to destroy is brief before it vanishes altogether and she’s back to doing far more worthwhile things with her time.

And her hands.

Her magic.

Her mouth.

Feeling the grin against her neck, she huffs. Emma had used her teeth to distract this time around. Regina isn’t a fan generally, but even the thought of Emma marking her minimally had sent her pulse racing. 

It had also sent the annoyance stiffening her jaw to far, far away places.

She sighs and runs a hand through blonde hair. “Always so smug.”

Emma kisses her throat, her collarbone and her shoulder. She sucks at the skin of her breast and murmurs, “Just the way you like me.”

Smug. So damn smug.

“Love,” she corrects to what she knows will be her detriment, but it’s impossible to resist. 

Emma’s confidence appeals to her. 

Even when it manifests as cockiness or arrogance, it draws her in.

It turns her on.

Emma hums, nipping softly at her breast before she raises her head. “Much as I’d like to show my appreciation for that unexpected but thoroughly enjoyable rectification, I’m pretty sure we need to eat...” She raises the rest of her body, literally peeling them apart, and wrinkles her nose as she adds, “And shower.”

Brow raised, Regina repeats, “Rectification?”

“Hey, I know big words.” The brow rises even higher and Emma laughs, lightly swatting her stomach. “Shut up.”

Regina grins. “Yes dear.”

She lets out an  _ oomph _ then as Emma drops back down and kisses her. It’s a bad idea, really. Truly terrible. Despite ignoring the phone calls, they’d agreed right before their last two-  _ three _ orgasms that they needed to get up. It’s been hours and their son is somewhere out there with his memories intact, likely getting into mischief with his Aunt, who Regina still fully intends to murder- or, at the very least, torture, just a little.

Emma’s mouth, though…

Even if she gets to spend the rest of her life enjoying these kisses, her life could not be anywhere near long enough.

Caressing a hand down her side, Regina lets Emma kiss her for a little while longer, not quite sated but content by the time the kiss ends and she’s back to gazing up at that cocky, impish little face. “I’ve heard you moan, whimper and scream my name to the heaven’s, and still I feel you perfectly justified with that smug little expression.” She raises her hand to stroke a flush, dimpled cheek, and breathes, “You’ve ruined me, Emma Swan.”

There’s not an ounce of shame anywhere to be found on Emma’s face when she leans back in, whispers a  _ good _ against her mouth, and kisses her, thoroughly, once more.

...

 

Another hour passes.

“We really shoul- mmm.” Her lips are going to bruise, if they haven’t already.

With a soft bite to the lower one, Emma lifts her head and grins down at her. “You were saying?”

“Was I?” Regina grabs the back of her head and tugs her back down on to her mouth. Their son, and the rest of the town along with him, could wait.

...

 

Having tired of waiting to see how her sister and Emma got on, Zelena decided to pay them a visit. She hadn’t thought they’d still be at it, but they definitely were, and it was a damn sight better for her eyes than the last time she walked in on two people going at it. “This should definitely not turn me on.”

Twin gasps sound and then she’s watching as her sister shoves Emma face first into the mattress and falls on top of her in a vain attempt to provide Emma a modicum of cover. It’s weirdly touching, she decides, right before Regina yells at her.

“Zelena!”

She smiles. “Hello, little sister.” Taking in both of their appearances, she shakes her head and dismisses the glare Regina sends her way. “Just checking you two aren’t dead, don’t mind me.”

Waving a hand, she conjures two bottles and moves to set them down on the bedside table.

From her position beneath Regina, Emma mumbles, “What’s that?”

Confused, as she'd thought it rather obvious, Zelena glances down at her. “Water?” When Emma simply blinks, eyes glazed, Zelena sighs, exasperated. “Honestly, Regina, you’ve scrambled the poor girl’s brains.” 

Ignoring Emma’s slight wince as Regina shifts from on top of her, Zelena flicks her wrist to summon the sheet from the floor, draping it over them both before she uncaps one of the bottles and hands it to Emma. “Here you go, dear.” Mildly concerned, she adds, “Don’t be afraid to demand a break every now and then. Regina’s a softie, really, she won’t mind.”

“Thanks.” Smiling, Emma takes a sip of water, closing her eyes as it no doubt soothes her throat. She sighs softly, then opens them, a grin making its way onto her mouth. “And no thanks.”

Zelena can’t help but laugh. The grin is mischievous and rather quite charming, but it’s the dazed look still in Emma’s eyes and the obvious flush that overcomes Regina’s face that amuses her most. “Oh well, can’t say I didn’t try.” She shrugs. They’re okay- a little out of it, but who wouldn’t be considering the circumstances? They’d been at it for hours. “I’ll be on my way now.”

She turns to leave, but Regina speaks suddenly. “Wait!”

“Hmm?”

“Henry, she croaks before glancing down and accepting the water Emma offers her. She clears her throat with it, sighing just as Emma had, and continues, “Where is he?”

“Keeping his grandparents occupied.” Two sets of eyes stare up at her in surprise, Regina’s and Emma’s lips parting almost in tandem. Zelena smirks and inclines her head. “You’re welcome.”

A minute or two passes. Just as she turns to try and leave again, Regina stops her a second time. “Zelena?”

“Yes, Regina?”

“Thank you.”

“My pleasure…” Glancing over her shoulder and sweeping her gaze over Emma’s barely sheet-clad body, she smirks. “Truly.”

Not allowing Regina the time to stop her from leaving a third time, Zelena wiggles her fingers in farewell and vanishes from the room. She reappears in the diner, where she summons a mirror to hand. A quick look, curious of her sister’s reaction to her blatant approval of her True Love.

“I think your sister just hit on me,” Emma says as the two appear in the glass.

Hand already caressing over the sheet hiding Emma from view, Regina gazes down at her. “At this present point in time,” she purrs, gripping the sheet just beneath Emma’s breasts, and tugging. “I honestly can’t say I blame her.”

With a flash of teeth sinking into flesh and a sharp, pleasured cry of her sister’s name, the mirror disappears in a puff and Zelena saunters from the back of the diner. Her stomach twists pleasantly at the sight of her wolf stood behind the counter.

An adorable wrinkle of a nose alerts her to Red’s awareness of her. Red’s head snaps up from the notepad in her hand. “Hey.” Her smile coy, she teases, “Miss me already?”

“Absolutely.” Shamelessly, Zelena steps behind the counter and takes Red into her arms. “Take a break and permit me to show you how much.”

Zero hesitation.

“Gran!”

Zelena tries not to wince and turns her head as the older wolf’s head appears through the service window. “What?”

“Twenty?”

Hopeful. Zelena stifles a pleased hum in the back of her throat while she waits with bated breath.

Granny Lucas looks between them, eyes narrowing in on their embrace. It takes no more than a minute for a decision to be made, but to Zelena it feels like hours before the older woman sighs and gestures them out. “Fine, but whatever you two intend, get it away from my diner.”


End file.
